WORLD number four Agnieszka Radwanska has been dropped by a Catholic youth movement in her native Poland for posing nude in the "Body Issue" of ESPN Magazine.
Radwanska, 24, who makes no secret of her strong Catholic faith, is photographed sitting in a lawn chair by a pool filled with tennis balls.
While not explicit, the nude has proven too much for a Catholic group known as Krucjata Mlodych (Youth Crusade), which runs a campaign dubbed "I'm not ashamed of Jesus".
The young Catholics, who claim more than a million followers, dropped Radwanska last week for what they said was "immoral behaviour" in the ESPN spread.
Radwanska was among several athletes who stripped down to pose in the fifth annual Body Issue. Other athletes photographed include San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick, 77-year-old golf Hall of Famer Gary Player, Olympic volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh Jennings -- during and after her pregnancy -- and Matt Harvey and Giancarlo Stanton from Major League Baseball.
This year's beaten Wimbledon semi-finalist previously appeared in a television commercial sponsored by the group in which she spelled out the word "Jesus" with tennis balls and urged young Poles not to be ashamed of their faith.
Home to the former pope, John Paul II, Poland remains one of Europe's most devout nations. More than 90 per cent of the population declares itself Roman Catholic.
If atall any athlete is going to turn down Espn magazine's offer to model for the next body issue, that athlete should be Martin Del potro as the wimbledon semi finalist shares the same country with the new pope Francis.
Nonsense!
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